Bosnia’s peace envoy sentenced to prison for denial of genocide

The decree by High Representative Valentin Inzaco gives a prison sentence of up to five years to anyone who “publicly denounces, denies, grossly trivializes or tries to justify”. Massacre Or war crimes committed during Bosnia’s 1992-1995 conflict.
In July 1995, Bosnian Serb Army occupied the United Nations-protected enclave of Srebrenica in the east of the country and killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys they had taken captive.

It was the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II and was considered an act of genocide by two international courts.

Inzco, whose 12-year term ends on August 1, when he is replaced by Germany’s Christian Schmidt, can enforce law and fire officials under a 1995 peace treaty that divided Bosnia into Bosniak-Croat and Serb entities. did.

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“The genocide in Srebrenica, war crimes and crimes against humanity … must not be forgotten or denied,” his decree read.

It was welcomed by top Bosniak politicians and condemned by Bosnian Serbs.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodi, a member of the tripartite presidency of Bosnia, said the decree could lead to the dissolution of the former Yugoslav republic. He repeatedly denied that the genocide took place in Srebrenica.

“This is the nail in Bosnia’s coffin,” he said at a news conference. “Republika Srpska … has no other option but to initiate disinformation,” he said, referring to Bosnia’s semi-autonomous Serb region.

Bosniak member of the Bosnian presidency, Cefik Dzaferovi, said Inzako “has fulfilled its obligation to the victims, their conscience, but the Dayton peace deal.”

The decree also envisages prison terms for “recognition … (and giving) mementos, or any privileges” to convicted war criminals.

Located in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, the Office of the High Representative was established as part of the Dayton Agreement that ended a war that killed 100,000 people.

The peace agreement split Bosnia between the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Republic of Serbs, a relatively weak, trilateral inter-ethnic presidency.

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